New Building Automation Technology for Sustainable Laboratories

Designing for sustainability means designing for the people who will use the labs and operate the facility. They are the ones who determine how the building actually performs. This presentation is about Room Automation technology that unifies lighting, shading and HVAC controls so they all work together for the lab occupant. This includes advanced interfaces that make it easy for the lab user to participate in energy conservation. Outside of the room, today’s digital communication technology enables new levels of analysis to help building operators ensure performance over the long haul.

Sustainability is an idea based on a long-term outlook. Turning your labs green requires that same long-term view. Energy efficiency and sustainability don’t happen during design or construction—they happen in operation. Laboratory users and facility operators determine how the building really performs. This presentation is about designing for them. New developments in Room Automation bring lighting controls and automated shading together with HVAC. Critical ventilation functions coexist with comfort considerations and energy conservation. Occupancy data is shared at the room level between systems so that temperature settings, ventilation, light levels and shade position can be coordinated in a comprehensive setback strategy The result is a room that responds to the demands of occupants.

Today’s building systems are sufficiently complex that lab workers often don’t know the energy effects of the adjustments they make. A user interface that simplifies that message helps lab users participate in energy conservation. Expanding network capacity enables new levels of integration in the lab room applications. In particular, the relationship between the room ventilation controller and the fume hoods can be enhanced, with bi-directional exchanges that support new coordinated features. Sophisticated systems such as these can be very efficient, but they can also degrade if neglected or operated incorrectly. To manage performance and sustainability, building operators need a program to monitor the systems and inform them of what’s working and what they need to fix.

Attendees will:

• Identify the variety of ways that lab workers influence energy consumption in a facility.

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